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Large resource development projects can often be held captive to decisions made in the early stages of development when outlook is most uncertain. Embedding optionality into the design of such projects allows for alternate development pathways when major assumptions change. Not only does this allow a business to adapt, but it can also bring about…

There are a few rather profound second order consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. By second order, we mean not readily visible, or in your face, or what the press and talking heads are going on about. Let’s look at 3 examples of second order consequences: Government Intervention The state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in China’s war against…

The advent of COVID-19 in December 2019 saw governments, think tanks and business leaders rapidly fretting about the potential scale and scope of this novel pandemic. Soon the strategic conversation settled on projected rates of infection and the ability of healthcare infrastructures to cope with potentially surging demand. With these projections varying widely, we created…

Many of my professional and personal experiences have taught me that risk and opportunity are two sides of the same coin. The current covid-19 crisis will be no exception. I have learnt – often the hard way – that being prepared for major events is first about ensuring the resilience to survive, and having pre-considered…

With the advent of COVID-19, we have many executives getting overwhelmed daily by crisis issues. For example: Can I charge employees’ leave days against their stay at home orders? Does PPP include commissions? Can I dismiss someone who doesn’t show up to virtual work sessions? And so on. It’s easy to get paralyzed in considering…

As a highly uncertain and rapidly evolving crisis, covid-19 is laying bare everyday business priorities like improvement, optimisation and transformation. Over the past weeks, most businesses have moved from interest to concern to full-blown crisis management as the full extent and likely duration of the pandemic’s associated economic shutdown has become clearer. Many executives, particularly…

Leadership capacity is the ability to effectively lead your team when your energy and their energy is getting diverted to a multitude of critical issues. To not succumb and freak out, you are required to apply clear thinking that targets the most crucial elements of leading your team. Your state of mind during these crisis…

Over the past 30 years, VCI has conducted literally hundreds of Scenario Planning workshops for clients wanting to add greater dimension to their Strategic Planning processes. Scenario Planning is a specific technique that helps an enterprise create several storylines, each with a series of strategic action plans. One of the unique and very useful tools…

A big problem with machine learning is the notion that it’s a black box. The production or logistics process is fully “sensored” up and the black box tells operators what to do. There is no understanding nor clarity about the logic behind the instructions. Many developers are now designing new machine learning algorithms that are…

Here’s a fundamental test for your company’s Digital Transformation in 2020. First, on the negative side – What elements of your offering are going to see a deterioration in revenue or price due to digital disintermediation/automation during 2020? (For example, most stock broking firms had to let go of their transactional costs in 2019 and…